Star Trek: Insurrection moved to 20th Century Fox!
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In a recent unprecedented move, Paramount has sold the rights to the upcoming movie Star Trek: Insurrection. The film will now be released and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox.
Having aquired the rights to this film, Fox has insisted upon some minor story and cosmetic changes. A few of the main characters have been dropped, including Data, Picard, Riker, Troi, LaForge, Crusher, and Worf. along with three newer characters that were to be introduced with this film. Fox is quick to point out, however, that these are the ONLY characters that will be dropped; everyone else will remain except for some minor characters and extras. Several replacement characters have been named, including a boy named "Anakin Skywalker" and a hero to be played by Liam Neeson.
The story has been slightly tweaked to include references to a planet named "Tatooine" and a universal power known as "The Force." Highly optimistic about the potential popularity of the movie, its release date has been pushed back to a lucrative May '99 timeslot. The title has also been changed to "The Phantom Menace." Because the movie has already been filmed, footage originally shot for the upcoming Star Wars prequel will be edited into the work.
In exchange for this movie, Paramount has received release and distribution rights to George Lucas' upcoming Star Wars prequel, which coincidentally was also named "The Phantom Menace." To avoid competition from Fox's movie, the prequel's release date has been moved up to a December timeslot, and its name has been changed to "Star Trek: Insurrection" to avoid confusion. Mostly, the film will remain unaltered except for almost insignificant changes, such as the fact the original footage will be thrown out and replaced with footage portraying a story of characters named Data, Picard, Riker, Troi, LaForge, Crusher, and Worf, as they try to protect a planet with immortal influences and take bubble baths.
Posted on Oct 13, 1998, 5:06 PM from IP address 207.13.225.99